Adventure 2018 Day 12

According to the Email from our room in Santorini, the lady misunderstood my request to delay shuttle until later in morning. Because when I got the email, it stated that the room would not be open until 8am and the shuttle were picking us up at 3am.  She stated that we could hang out by the pool on the sun chairs until it opened….oh lord.

The flight to Santorini from Rome was fairly long and being so late at night, would be a good time for a nap…When our flight.  As it landed, a shuttle was waiting for us and took us to our room. It was a winding road but a beautiful site. However, being pitch black, we didn’t know what to expect. We were headed somewhere and didn’t even have a place to go into.  The driver lets us out at a beautiful villa but looked as if no one was there. The area which supposes to be a 10-minute walk must be described by Roma because the beach was so much further than that.

As we gathered our bags out of the taxi, everyone looked exhausted and grumpy.  All I could do was to remind them that it was an adventure.  I never promised luxury, just adventure.

Walking into the patio area, there was a kitchen cabana.  I put my luggage down, walked to the pool area, picked up a sun chair, carried it back to the cabana, and got out my airplane blanket and made myself comfortable.  The girls followed suit, not knowing what to think.  I told them, “I bet you didn’t expect to be camping in a cabana did you?”  “it’s all good”  Well, that is the way I think about it.

Someone snoring, peeing behind the van, layering the dirty laundry to be warm because the air was chilly with the wind, we rolled off the sunbeds when we heard the cleaning lady sweeping the pool area. Our new alarm system.   The greater of the hotel room stated that we could come in for breakfast, but check-in wasn’t until 2pm.  The breakfast was made up with a boiled egg each, set up in shot glasses (egg holders one day) more carbs: cakes, and toast. After we ate we went back out to pool and laid out in the sun, where we had replaced the sun chairs, and some of us, fell back to sleep.  Luckily, the villa, got the room ready, which actually was just a few steps away from where we were sleeping by the pool.  When we walked into the room, the race to the bathroom was our mission.

While cleaning up I talked with the greeter and set up a boat tour for the following day. I got the information about the beaches in the areas, transportation, and a map.  I also decided I wanted to rent the ATV from the business next door Dimentias ATV.  Unfortunately, I did not have an international license, so I did not get to do it.   (I am putting that on my list of to do this year).  Immediately the thing I noticed about Santorini, no one accepts credit cards, all in cash and it seems everyone has different reasons such as machine tore up, etc.   When setting and paying for the boat tour, we asked if we would get a refund if it rained.  She said, “it doesn’t rain here, but rarely. If it does only a little. It’s always pretty in Santorini” My first thought was: But I haven’t been here before!

Getting our things ready, we were going to hit the beach.  Walking to the Red Beach, and according to greeter was only 10 minutes away, we set out walking.  45 minutes later we are following the signs to the Red Beach.  Has anyone ever HIKED to a beach before?  This was a hike, over rocks and down a cliff. Crawling through crevices, over and over, and we just knew the water was close.  We had to pass through the Black beach, and white beach to get to the Red beach….all a hike of their own.  The rocks were gritty and pebbly but it was unique and something I had never seen, why would our trip to the beach part, be any different than the hikes we had taken every day since we left the states?  Every day of our adventure has been a walking, or hiking course of no less than 10 miles per day.  So hiking to the beach, should have been nothing to surprise anyone.  We hit the water a little but mainly soaked up the sun.  We were very tired, but knowing we had to hike that hike, just to get back to the road, was something we dreaded.  After enjoying our sun time, we set out to one of the beach restaurants, we came back up the hiking path to see an adorable wedding taking place with the backdrop of the sea beyond the rocks.  We found the restaurant “The Wave”  We met George….George Beninini or Belinini    George was a gentleman that was very funny, flirtatious, and perfectly Greek, and when we asked for anything, “for you, my lady, just for you”  I ordered bread, “for you, my lady, George Beninini will bring you bread, and olive spread, I made only for you!”  Angie asked for the password for the WIFI, and of course “Only for you, will I give you the password, George Bennini gives only you the password” and he did.  Julie asked if he had a bathroom, “for you my lady I have two, only for you my lady George Bennini has two toilets” Julie replied, “I only need one.”   However; I think Cherrie found the man’s bathroom since Julie got the 2 bathrooms…just for her.  As we got the check, he was pretty insistent as every restaurant in either Italy or Greece, just didn’t understand the concept of separate checks. “ George Bennini brings check”  Julie “we need the separate check,” “no George brings one check”  but we want to pay separate.  “You can pay separate, but George Bennini brings only one check” Ok, and to each of us as we were paying.  “Here is the check and if you want to tip for George Bennini, we accept those too.”  After he said this three or four times, very fast, Julie looked over to me and says, “George wants a tip. I believe”  With hugs and a kiss to Angie “ for her and her only George Bennini gives a kiss” we head back out for our hike to the top of the cliff to get back to the road.  After we made our way back we decided to take the bus so we could get back to our villa.  Hiking to a beach is strenuous work.  So we jumped on the bus, and when it got close to our villa, I pushed the stop button, then we waved at our villa as we passed right by.  A few miles later, we stopped in Fira.  We figured much like our bus in Praino, the day we went for our hike to the Path of Gods, it would just ride us around back and forth till the stop was in front of our villa.  No, we were wrong. In Fira, we were told to get off…Being confused, we got off, to ask the ticket place, how we get back to the villa the other driver passed. He told us we have to buy a ticket.  Being confused, that we had bought the ticket…”maybe it was a different bus” however, we were ushered back on to the same bus with the same driver,”  When they asked the name of our bus, I couldn’t think of the name….I knew it started something like:…ichlesdes, villadickless, illidillieless, I tried telling him the name of the ATV rental place, but he didn’t have a clue.  Julie could not do anything but laugh at my pronunciations…The bus driver looked at me like I was crazy…The couple sitting beside us said they were going to a “villa&%&/????::: “   All of us, said “That’s the name, that’s where we are going to!’   I believe the bus, had a chuckle also.

Back at our room, called for showers, and the attempts to get on internet…Only near the pool or kitchen did we have decent wifi.  Plans for tomorrow. A boat tour….I don’t think anyone will drown.

Author: kimmiestravelsblog

A special eduacation teacher....degree in police science, criminal justice, worked in call centers, as behavioral health counselor, foster care manager, worked in restaurants, factories, and many other things..for fun I refinish and refurbish furniture, remodel my house, arts and crafts, beauty pageant work, medieval reenactment, gardening, writing, traveling, movies, reading, beach combing, music concerts, photography......As you are probably seeing by this introduction, I am a little ADHD...I am the one who jumps from one thing of interest to another.....but the way I see it, that is what makes life interesting. View all posts by kimmiestravelsblog